“We’re so close,” he said. “There’s no time for elaborate plans.”
As she’d predicted, he wanted to rush headfirst into a fatal mess. If he died too soon, he’d ruin everything for her.
I’m gonna slay him, Lilith thought.
She clamped her teeth, partly to avoid saying something nasty and partly to keep her magic strapped down. The spark inside her chest had grown so big, it elbowed organs out of the way, squashing her heart. Her lungs clung flat against her ribs. She didn’t dare let a smidgen of power squeak out. She worried that she couldn’t open the dam to unleash a glimmer without risking a full torrent. If she drew the angel’s attention before she had the amulet’s power, she’d die.
Couldn’t risk failure now, after she’d come so close.
Too many moving pieces in this machine, she bitched, thinking about redundancies and likely death.
Boston air sat wet and crisp on her tongue. Her blood burned through what dinner she’d had. Hunger pangs twanged around her heart and all the way up to her teeth until her fangs ached. Her stomach danced a dervish, her gut bobbed with nausea.
Here she was on the cusp of betraying heaven, hell, and Fate, and all she could think was, please don’t faint.
And that’s when she saw them rolling across the hilltops, peppering the white distance like a flock of belligerent geese. A throng, a swarm, a legitimate army. They were a couple miles off, but her letter had worked. Reinforcements were coming.
Haniel hadn’t seen them yet. Something pink was stuck in the corner of his mouth—he was eating—but she refrained from teasing him.
Her hand went to the talisman around her neck, and the smooth, worn surface eased her tension. Everything would be fine. She could do this. She secured the rest of the ingredients, adjusting the sling filled with precious cargo until it hung on her back.
She felt like a samurai donning her armor.
Haniel dragged the heavy cargo box of weapons off the truck and rummaged through it, choosing a big machine gun, which he slung around his shoulder. Two lines creased his heavy brow as he looked at her.
The time had finally come.
Chapter 23
Fort Independence was a large granite structure half-covered in earth, mounted with dated artillery, crumbling a bit on the edges. Five walls were joined at the corners by five bastions, creating a pentagonal courtyard. Castle Island wasn’t much of a castle—and Haniel had seen plenty a fine castle in his day.
No, this was a prison. Maggie’s prison.
Water trickled off the sod-covered roof, revealing patches of fresh greenery, as if a great heat burned inside the fort.
Or as if a dragon with nature’s powers was dreaming of spring.
Haniel stood beside Lilith, practically vibrating with tension.
Maggie was so close. Maybe. Was she in there, trapped with a dragon? Was she alive, or had Lilith been right all along? Had the dragon…savaged her, killed her?
Was Haniel chasing a ghost?
Lilith laughed, a deep, rolling, cacophony. The warm sound rubbed against him, yanking his attention to her.
“What?” he asked.
“It’s perfect.” Lilith chortled. “The entire fucking building is designed to hold a pentagram.”
Her body shook with laughter, and her breasts almost spilled over the top of the corset. He had to forcibly rip his eyes back to her gleaming face. His pelvic girdle was heavy, hot, roiling. He’d known mortal men succumb easily to passion and blood-heated sins, but he hadn’t expected it to happen to him.
When he was an angel—full-blooded, intact—a tit warranted no more interest than an elbow or a toe. Now, he stared at a monster’s boob and thought, I should touch that, and simultaneously, I wonder what Maggie’s chest feels like.
Then he started worrying about what Maggie might think of him fondling a chest, anyone’s chest, or worse…hers. What would happen if he tried to touch Maggie that way? Felt skin on skin, heat on heat… what if embracing her destroyed him but didn’t affect her in the slightest?
God, I’m doomed.
Maggie was at the mercy of a dragon, and all he could think about was her chest. Human hormones were a persuasive evil.
Goddamned mortality, anyway.
Haniel searched the skies, his back to Lilith, looking for the monster who stole the love of his life. A dragon with seven powerful hearts—one for each mortal sin.
Lilith’s hair spun in the wind, brushing his shoulder, creeping up against his neck and tickling the sensitive skin there. A shudder went through him, charging his skin and zipping down his spine. He whacked at the hair like a housewife flailing at a moth. Lilith didn’t seem to notice.
The next time her hair brushed against his cheek and kissed his ear, he didn’t swipe it away. Instead, he thought, I must remember to tickle Maggie’s earlobe and see if it sends shivers down her spine.
Five-horn popped out of the darkness, spreading wisps of sulfur into the breeze. His triangular face pivoted and he offered Haniel a scrap of pink meat. Haniel accepted the morsel and dropped his free hand onto Five-horn’s forehead.
He’s grown. Pride warmed him, filled him up, made him stand tall.
He glanced over his shoulder, looking out to the harbor, the bay, the ocean, the immense beyond. His eyes scanned the sky, but he didn’t see dragons or angels. The threat could come from anywhere.
Lilith touched his arm, startling him. Five-horn jerked and hissed, and Almost-wing appeared at Haniel’s elbow.
“Calm your tits,” Lilith said.
Haniel couldn’t help it. He laughed. Loud. He rubbed his chest with both hands. “Consider my tits calm.”
Snickering, she nodded to the fort. “We need to draw out the dragon before we make a move for Maggie. I’d hate for your charming damsel to be caught in the crossfire, especially before you give me the key.”
Haniel cleared his throat. “We could go down there. Force the dragon to show himself—”
She shook her head. “So he can flank us while we’re distracted? Swoop down on us and eat our kidneys before we sense him coming?”
He stared at her, and it occurred to him what was different: no snakes. She didn’t have a single snake on her, not even a dead one—although he’d often seen her carry around their limp bodies for hours or days, as if she didn’t want to let them go. In the entire time he’d known her, he’d never seen her without a serpent.
What the hell does that mean?
Nothing, probably. He was overthinking it.
Or she’s losing power. Maybe she’s worn out. What if she’s not up for this?
He didn’t plan on losing Maggie. He hadn’t come all this way to fail her. Haniel chomped on the gifted meat, chewing the raw, rubbery mass. He wiped his mouth, distracted. Once he worked past the texture, he found he didn’t mind the taste. His stomach growled for more.
He mumbled, “Imagine the legion we could feed with an army. We could let our hordes eat their fill. We’d all be at full strength when we engage the dragon.”
“Twisted,” she said. “You’re kind of making me hot.”
He flinched.
“Something smells different.” Her brow scrunched, her nose wiggled. “Isn’t the air colder? Sharper?”
He waved his hand. “Maybe it’s the water.”
“That’s it.” She spun around, looking from the bay to the ocean and to the sky. “The water has changed.”
“I meant, the coastline probably smells different from the rest of the city and—”
“No, it’s the ocean itself.” Her eyes glimmered with excitement. “I crossed the sea a few months ago, but the water in this bay is new. New and fresh and—”
“Why are we standing here?” he said. “We should attack before the dragon catches wind of us.”
“We’re scoping out the place. We should assess where he’s keeping Maggie before we barge in with a hundred bloodthirsty vampires.”
“The little ones can poke around.” Hanie
l summoned Five-horn and Almost-Wing. “Find Maggie—”
“No need,” Lilith interrupted. “Something just started burning.”
His heart jumped up his throat and smacked his brainstem. He lifted up on his toes as if he’d fly—even though his wings had been scorched off years ago. Shame nearly cut him in half. He wasn’t an angel anymore, didn’t have the power. Didn’t have the balls or the means to save Maggie without the she-devil’s help.
Lilith touched his elbow. “Relax. She’s fine.”
Her soft voice, full of assurance and faith, teased a ball of warmth deep inside him. Hope.
Lilith chortled. “And if that’s Maggie burning, then we’re too damned late. You’d never get there in time. Not a chance.”
He shoved her.
She grinned, undeterred, and said, “I mean, what’s the chance you’ll lose her now, after all this, when you’re so close? Heaven would really have to hate you.”
“It’s like you want us to lose,” he growled.
“Not me,” she whispered, “Just you.”
“Bullshit,” he growled. “You don’t want love to triumph because you’re alone. You’re a spiteful old bitch who wants the world to suffer.”
She glared at him, eyes gouging his, then her gaze dropped to his throat. Her chest rose and fell. She’d just consumed the soldier, but he’d wager she was thinking of another course. From his coursing veins.
“The army is coming,” she said. “Stay out of the way.”
He started to argue, and she interrupted.
“Listen, Haniel, your only job is to distract him. Use the legion. Keep him occupied. We don’t stand a chance without your minions’ shock-and-awe distractions.”
He gulped as a new knot of fear clustered in his airway. An army of vampires was coming, but she didn’t think they stood a chance? All those monsters teamed up against a dragon, and she believed the humbaba was too powerful for them?
God help me.
He waved to the tattered confetti of the body’s remains. “Why would you beguile me to eat human meat if you didn’t think it would make me strong enough?”
“’Beguile’ you?” She huffed. “All it took was a suggestion. You ate the damned thing of your own accord, you…you…damned thing.”
He laughed. “We are, aren’t we? Finally, completely.”
“Not so completely on your part,” she argued. “You still have this tone. The divine lingers in your voice. It’s unnerving. Makes me think you can’t handle tonight’s business.”
“Lilith?”
“Yeah?”
“Go fuck yourself.”
She grinned and fondled the bundle of spellcasting tricks and tools resting on her hip.
In the next instant, they were no longer alone.
Lazarites appeared on the horizon, dots of movement like a hive of hornets. They slunk through the surrounding city, spreading out, dropping down from rooftops, flowing around buildings, slinking through the trees. Dozens upon dozens.
A vampire—not Nhang—stepped out of shadows at the forefront of the group. The starving male, draped in an oversized army jacket, looked mean and miserable.
Haniel stood stiff as a board, searching the shadows of buildings and trees for Lilith’s daughter, however, Nhang didn’t come. He could only think of one reason Lilith might have left Nhang out: betrayal.
He turned to Lilith and grumbled, “That’s not who I expected to see.”
“Who were you hoping for?” Lilith snipped, “The Christ?”
“Your daughter.” He grabbed her elbow. “What are you doing?”
“What do you care?” She jerked from his grasp. “Vampires are none of your concern.”
“Lilith, what’s the plan?”
She grinned. It chilled him.
He stepped closer until his chest was inches from her nose and leaned down. “How can I expect you to keep your word to me if you'd sell out your own daughter?”
“I’m doing this for you, idiot,” she said. “Honoring our deal is the only way I’ll get the key. I need Maggie as much as you do.”
Haniel pressed his lips together. His heart itched with distrust.
The bloodsuckers marched closer, stepping onto the open field.
“Corporal,” Lilith said, and to the second one, “Finch, right?”
Finch beamed, looking pleased to be remembered. The Corporal squinted at her as if peering into the sun.
“Welcome, Corporal.” Lilith practically simpered, “I’m glad you had the courage to come. Someone who takes initiative shall surely be rewarded.”
“No more fancy words or promises.” He strode forward. “We deserve better than what we got under the old law, and we want more than what Sister’s willing to give.”
“And you shall have it,” Lilith said, “once you stop this silly revolution and prove yourself to me.”
Haniel grabbed Lilith’s shoulder. “She’s your daughter. Doesn’t that mean anything?”
“It means she shouldn’t have put me on my knees. If she hoped to beat me, she has much to learn. I’d be remiss if I didn’t teach her a lesson.”
“What lesson?” Haniel asked, “That a mother’s betrayal is the most callous of all?”
A cold, unrepentant expression washed over Lilith’s face. “Don’t overstep your station, slave.”
“Some creatures never learn,” the Corporal mumbled.
Lilith shrugged away from Haniel’s hand, but her skin was cold and hard, and he was grateful to no longer be touching her.
The Corporal smiled at her. “You were right to call on me. Together, we’ll set things right. And after I help, I’ll expect certain accommodations.”
Her eyes trailed up and down his form. “A warrior must prove himself worthy before taking liberties. Why would I elevate someone who hasn’t been battle-tested?”
“Ah, that’s what you want.” He smiled at Finch as if they’d discovered a secret, then stepped closer to Lilith. “When I kill your daughter and help you take the throne, there’ll be no doubt I’m worthy.”
“What do I care about one little foundling?” she snorted. “The wench isn’t old enough or strong enough to threaten me. No, I have something else in mind. A true challenge.”
The Corporal folded his arms. “What?”
“Tonight we’ll slay a dragon.”
His mouth twitched. “A dragon.”
Finch whispered, “She’s crazy.”
Lilith slapped him. He flew head-over-heels three times and landed ass-first in a snowbank. The Corporal laughed, and titters of humor arose from the throng.
Haniel stiffened; he hadn’t realized the vampires had surrounded him, slinking closer in the dusk. Startled, his imps began to manifest, and puffs of sulfur slammed through the air. Lilith touched his elbow, distracting him, and he left his legion in the ether.
He realized why she’d invited the army: cannon fodder. At first, she’d planned for his legion to fulfill that role, but then she realized he didn’t have enough minions to pull it off. Now Lilith was proceeding with the same plan involving a high body count, but she’d chosen different lackeys.
Haniel was torn. He hoped the Lazarites could beat the dragon, but he also wanted the dragon to obliterate the vampires.
“A dragon,” she continued. “We’ve followed the creature across town, tracked him here.”
“Supposing they exist,” the Corporal said, “why would we fight one?”
“Think about it,” she prodded. “What do dragons hoard?”
“Treasure!” Finch exclaimed, as he hopped out of the snowdrift. “We’re gonna take its treasure, aren’t we?”
“Yes,” Lilith said. “We absolutely are. The dragon stole something of mine, and I want it back.”
What happens when the vampires realize there’s no treasure? When the Corporal expects Lilith to pay up, what will she do? They’ll turn on each other, everyone who’s left, and it’ll all go to hell.
Haniel vowed to snatch Ma
ggie and run before the bloodsucking assholes discovered they’d been double-crossed.
Lilith was saying, “Imagine the stories they’ll tell about the vampire who slayed a dragon, the champion who saved a queen in her time of need.”
“Lead us to the dragon,” the Corporal said. “We’ll kill it so you can retrieve your trinket, but we get a share of the treasure. Consider it a down-payment on our long, prosperous partnership.”
Lilith set her hands on her hips and thought it over, looking like a pretentious old biddy who wouldn’t spare a penny.
“One tenth,” she said.
“Half.”
She wrinkled her nose. Tapped her toe. Dragged it out. With a huff, she said, “One quarter.”
He thought it over, then nodded. “And I want Boston.”
Lilith blinked. “This shithole? It’s a smoldering pile of—”
“Lane’s dead,” Corporal said. “Now, I’m not dumb enough to try and be a king. Neither am I suicidal enough to fight the remaining Elders for the throne. They’d never let me rule over them. But I want a seat at the table, a councilman’s position, and I want your promise that you won’t fight me, that you’ll support my ascension.”
Lilith crossed her arms.
The Corporal continued, “Lazarites will never rule, but we can win. We’ll be there when the new laws are made. We’ll dole out justice when our kind is persecuted. And we’ll find a way to make our diminishing blood stronger than before. Stronger than theirs…”
She scoffed. “Oh, hell. You’re an idealist, too.”
“Kind of.” He scanned the cityscape and then his gaze swung back. “Sister wants to play it clean, and she’ll lose because of it. Not me. I’m going to win. Because I’m a dirty, dirty boy.”
His voice dropped down into a murmur, a growl that was probably supposed to be sexy.
Haniel’s lip curled in disdain. We don’t have time for this.
Standing off to the side, he noticed that the vampires weren’t paying attention to him. They were too busy flirting and conniving.
Lilith's Amulet Page 20